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Business going well at Bowman Lodge and Convention Center

The Bowman Lodge and Convention Center, which opened in 2015, has 47 rooms, a workout facility and a restaurant for guests to be able to grab a quick bite to eat. (Sydney Mook / The Dickinson Press)
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BOWMAN -- Kim Grote and her staff at Bowman Lodge and Convention Center take great pride in keeping a clean, beautiful building for their customers, something the Bowman community is starting to notice.

The hotel, which opened in 2015, has 47 rooms, a workout facility and a restaurant for guests to grab a quick bite to eat. The hotel now owns the Prairie Fitness Center, which they are excited about, Grote said.

The hotel also has several rooms that provide a spot for various conferences to be held, which in the past has included BNSF courses and leadership panels, among many others. The rooms can also be a space for people to have weddings, something Grote said they have already had this year.

“We’re doing a lot of things,” she said. “People are really figuring what we have for banquets and utilizing our facilities for that. So, it’s exciting because it’s growing so much.”

While it was slow getting started, things have started to pick up for the hotel.

“I think it’s word of mouth and then the repeat business,” she said. “I have people stopping by just to take a peek, and they see how big it is and how nice it is and what we have to offer. … We can cater and have caterers come in. So we have a lot to offer, and I think that’s why we’re seeing such an increase in business.”

Grote said the hotel is already starting to fill up with a variety of returning customers who are looking for a good night’s sleep.

“Our slow time did not last very long,” she said. “We have a lot of repeat customers to the hotel that we’re starting to really build a good reputation with people. … We have a lot of people that will travel and come this way again. We have a lot of workers. We do a lot of contracts with people that are working in the area that have stayed at other places, but they always want to come here.”

Teran Doerr, executive director of the Bowman County Development Corporation, said the economic activity in the area is a good sign.

“It’s always encouraging when we see more travelers coming through the area,” Doerr said.

While they have not seen an increase in people coming to the corporation, they have had businesses report that there has been an uptick in people coming through the area, she said.

Doerr said it is also good to see an increase in businesses, such as Bronson’s Supermarket and Lucky’s Liquor, coming to the area as well.

The hotel gym, which is available to all community members for a membership price, has become incredibly popular, Grote said. They currently have more than 125 members who come to work out. After working out, people have the opportunity to use the pool or hot tub in the facility as well.

“We’ve had a lot of renewed interest in the gym,” she said. “We keep it spotless. We send people over there three times a week to clean. … Our equipment is all state-of-the-art.”

When someone has a membership to the gym, they are also able to take classes for free. A personal trainer is also available.

Grote said it is fun to meet a variety of people from all over the country and even all over the world.

“We have people from Canada, other countries,” she said. “I think that’s the best part of hospitality is the variety of people I get to meet. It kind of just shows you how small the world is to all end up in nowhere Bowman, North Dakota.”

Overall, Grote said providing a quality hotel experience is her top priority.

“We literally get down on our hands and knees and check around beds,” she said. “... When our housekeepers clean a room, it doesn’t stop there. … We go the extra mile. We go around the room and make sure the rooms are pristine. That makes a big difference -- people will pay good money for a room, and they want it clean and comfortable and homey. … We take so much pride (in what we do).”

Sydney Mook started working as the multimedia editor for The Press in January 2016. She graduated from the University of South Dakota with a bachelor's degree in journalism and political science in three and half years in December 2015. While at the USD, she worked for the campus newspaper, The Volante, as well as the television news show, Coyote News. She also interned at South Dakota Public Broadcasting and spent the summer before her senior year interning in Fort Knox for the ROTC Cadet Summer Training program. In her spare time, Sydney enjoys cheering on the New York Yankees and the Kentucky Wildcats, as well as playing golf. If you've got an idea for a video be sure to give her a call!